The Dead
by soundsofthecity
Summary: No answers come from the dead.
1. Chapter 1

From on top of the roof of the academy, there is one of the best spots to view the stars in Konoha. Naruto had discovered it his second year of academy, when he'd accidentally locked himself out after lunch one day. Apparently no one had noticed his absence in the classroom. He'd had to spend the night up there. An old janitor had found him in the morning.

Today had been a bad day. It didn't happen often for him, but it did happen. With missions, there was always the chance of a casualty, but it was especially bad when it involved kids.

Naruto hugged a knee to his chest and leaned against the door, staring up at the sky. There was a light wind that ruffled his bangs almost playfully. It felt good against his warm skin. His hand, set in a loose fist on the ground, clutched his forehead protector.

A little over a year had passed since Sasuke died.

Not so long ago, maybe two years at most, Naruto had sat at this same place, wondering when he'd ever speak with Sasuke again. He would wonder if he was alright. He'd wonder what Sasuke was thinking and feeling. He wondered if Sasuke ever thought of him.

Now there was nothing to wonder. Except how long it would be before Naruto saw him again. Often in his dreams, one of his more passionate declarations came back to haunt him. This idea that there would be a time when Naruto was no longer a host to the kyuubi and Sasuke was no longer an Uchiha. They would come to understand one another in a world without burdens. A world he hoped Sasuke was already in, but he wasn't entirely sure anymore.

Stars blinked down at him, devoid of answers. He put an elbow on his knee and covered his eyes with his hand. The grip he had on the headband loosened as he spread his fingers apart. He focused on the heavier weight of the metal plate as it lay still on his palm.

"I messed up today a bit."

Naruto looked off to the side, and gave a sad little laugh.

"Not a bit. A lot." He chewed his bottom lip and watched the fingers of his left hand flex. "Two people died. _Kids_, Sasuke. Maybe they were around 12 or 13. I know you'd say it happens, that it's part of the job -

"Well actually," he paused, breathed in, and let go of the headband. It clanked against the concrete. Naruto pulled his other knee to his chest, crossed his arms over his knees, and rested his head there. "You wouldn't have said anything, right? _You_ wouldn't have cared about a couple of kids stupid enough to get in the way."

He smoothed his thumb over the rougher fabric of his pants and sighed.

"I suppose you'd say I'm just feeling sorry for myself, eh?" Naruto raised his head and stared up at the sky from under his bangs. "Maybe I am." He lowered his voice. "But what are you gonna do about it, huh? You're not even here. Not that you ever _were_ around when I needed you."

He pressed his head to his forearms again and watched the dark outline of the treetops sway gently with the breeze.

"I suppose now that you're up there somewhere, you _know_ everything. I mean, isn't that what death is? You get to see everything that ever happened? You get to see inside the heads of people you knew. You get to know what they really thought?"

Naruto lowered his eyes to the playing of shadows on the ground. Sometimes they looked as if they were reaching for him as they struggled to touch his sandal.

"Do you know what I really thought?" he whispered. "Do you know now how I felt? How I feel?"

Sorrowfully, he smiled. He couldn't speak anymore, so he put his head on his knees and closed his eyes. He thought of the last times he'd seen Sasuke. It caused a dull pain to grow in his chest. It pinched at his lungs; he inhaled deeply.

Hundreds of cicadas sang out, their rhythmic melodies growing to a frenzied pitch only to die out and begin again, louder than before.

Naruto rested a while longer, thinking about memories that belonged solely to him. The echoes of their impact washed over his features as he remained safely confined to the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura entered the academy, unlocking the entrance with the spare key she'd taken from Hokage-sama's office. The academy carried a strange feeling at night. It had been built nearly identical to how it had looked years ago, before Pain flattened the village. She went down the hallway where the first-year classrooms were located. Moonlight snuck through the windows, creating boxes of light on the tiles. At the end of the hall was a door that led to the stairwell. She climbed the first three floors slowly, and at the fourth she picked up her pace. Before she could even see him, as she walked out onto the roof, she could sense Naruto's presence. The wind was whistling through the trees. She pushed her hair to the side, holding it above her ear.

"Naruto," she said. He was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall. He had his knees drawn to his chest, and he was holding his head in his hands.

Sakura looked out at the view of Mount Hokage. "I heard about the mission. About the kids."

When she glanced at Naruto, he was watching her, a vacant look in his eyes she'd been seeing more frequently. She sighed when he said nothing and went to sit beside him.

"It might help if you just talked about it," she said, crossing her legs and smoothing out her skirt.

"Sakura-chan."

"I know, I know." Sakura smiled despite herself. "I thought I'd try. One of these days you'll open up to me. I think you're rubbing off on me after all these years. I can be persistent, too, you know."

Naruto returned her smile, but it was strained. "Yeah."

"There really is a great view. I can see why you come here."

"Mm."

For a while now, between them there existed a sort of tension. She could guess about it, but it seemed as though something had changed in the last few months, but Naruto refused to open up to her. He refused to open up to anyone. Well, except one person.

"Was it Kakashi-sensei who told you?" Naruto asked, tilting his head back to rest it against the wall.

"Yes."

"He's got a big mouth."

Unexpectedly, she laughed. Sakura shifted and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "I thought you would've figured that out by now."

"Haven't heard you laugh in a while."

Sakura sucked in a breath. Her gaze dropped to the ground, and she fussed with the fold of her skirt.

"I was talking to _him_," said Naruto.

"Oh." She pulled her skirt forward so that it covered both knees. Sadly, she smiled at the sky. "What did _he_ have to say?"

"Nothing much."

"Are you sure he didn't mention anything about my new haircut?"

Naruto looked over at her. "Did you get a haircut, Sakura-chan?"

"It's okay," she said. "It was a few weeks ago. You've been busy."

He crawled over to her, staring intently. Naruto lifted a hand as if he meant to touch her hair, but then he set it on the ground.

"You look nice," he said. "You always look nice."

"Thank you, Naruto." She gave him a fleeting look, but he didn't seem to really see her. He moved to his original spot against the wall.

"It sure is nice out."

"It is," she said. "But it's sort of lonely."

Naruto shrugged. The locusts' singing reached a pitch, making it difficult to speak for several minutes. When their noise died down, another breeze swept through the trees, making them sway hypnotically. Sakura opened her mouth, but realized she didn't have anything to say. Everything that came to mind didn't feel quite right.

"So why'd you come?" Naruto, thankfully, broke the silence.

"To see you, of course," she replied, trying to sound chipper.

"Ah."

"You don't believe me?"

"I do," he said.

"Are you," her voice faltered, "Sure there's nothing you want to talk about?"

It took a while before he answered. "I'm sure." He gave her a smile that made it feel like her heart was breaking. "Why? I'm not worrying you, am I?"

"I _always_ worry about you, idiot," she grumbled.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan. Really."

There was a small pebble next to her sandal. She grabbed it and threw it at Naruto's leg. "If you don't want to talk to me about it, just say so. So long as you talk to _someone_."

Naruto stiffened. "I do talk to someone."

Sakura shook her head, turning her face away from him. "I mean talk to someone who can actually talk back. He can't talk back, Naruto. No matter how much we want it."

"Sometimes I think he does."

She looked at him. He looked at her.

"Don't you talk to him, Sakura-chan?"

"Of _course_ I do," she said.

"What does he say?" Naruto asked. He held the pebble in his hand and tossed it several times into the air.

"Nothing. He never talks back. I do most of the talking. So, in a way, it's just like old times." Her lips thinned; she lowered her head and let her hair fall around her face like a curtain.

"Maybe he doesn't speak because he knows all you need is someone who'll listen."

She lifted her head to look at him and smiled. "Maybe."

"I know he's up there watching over us. Or down there," Naruto nodded at the ground. "Either way I doubt he'd leave us alone."

"Why is it you're always the one who ends up comforting me?" she asked. "I came here to comfort you."

"Thanks," Naruto said. "But I'm fine. Just a bad day."

Sakura didn't believe him, but it wasn't the right time to argue. She could sense the overwhelming thoughts on Naruto's mind, and once he started thinking of Sasuke, it was hard to bring Naruto back around. All she could do was be there for him. It was all still a work in progress.

"What if I tempted you with ramen?" she asked, standing. She dusted off her backside.

Naruto got to his feet. "I'd say that sounds pretty damn good. Is this a date?"

She rolled her eyes. "Something like that. I won't keep you too long. I know you'll want to go see Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto, who'd been holding the door open for her, chewed his bottom lip. "Yeah."

"Until then, let's only talk about happy things, yeah?"

"Of course," said Naruto. "How could I be down when such a pretty girl is asking me out for ramen?"

As she went through the door, he put his hand on the small of her back. A rush of warmth spread across her cheeks. Their footsteps echoed down the stairwell. On the first-year floor, Naruto stopped by the door where there old classroom would have been.

"Sure brings back some memories," he said.

"Yeah."

"Is it really okay for you to steal old Tsunade's keys?"

She shushed him. "I didn't steal. I _borrowed_. I'll return them in the morning."

"Uh huh," Naruto said, sounding playful. "To think you used to be such a good girl."

"Oh," she teased. "Do you like a bad girl, Naruto? You pervert."

Naruto continued walking; she followed at his side.

"I'm not picky," he said.

"Charming."

On the way to Ichiraku they laughed and talked like old times, and in her heart, Sakura knew Naruto was trying to make this as normal as possible for her benefit. But she couldn't help but latch on to the moment whether it was forced or not. Why was it after all they'd been through, she still relied on him this way? She probably didn't deserve to have him as a friend, but she was never going to give up on him. After all, they'd also gone through the worst possible thing they could have and managed to survive. Was it so wrong to hope then, that maybe one day everything would be okay again? Couldn't she be allowed to be optimistic, too?

On a whim, she grabbed Naruto's hand as they reached town center. She didn't let go of it until they'd entered the flaps of Ichiraku and sat down on the stools.


	3. Chapter 3

Kakashi was at his desk, reviewing a mission brief, when there was a low knock at the door. He looked up, twirling the pencil around once in his fingers. The knock came again, no more urgent than before and just as quiet. He gave a sigh as he dropped the pencil and went to answer. When he opened the door, Naruto walked in without waiting to be invited. This was typical, so Kakashi said nothing. He merely closed and locked the door behind him. Naruto had taken a seat on the corner of the bed, tracing one of the pinwheels with a finger. Kakashi sat down again in his chair and continued reading through the brief.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said after a while. "I s'pose you heard about what happened?"

"I've read the brief, yes. It's in my pile."

"Do you think there was any way it could've been avoided?"

Kakashi scratched his chin. "No." He glanced at Naruto over his shoulder. "Do you normally go around to other people's homes and make yourself comfortable in their beds?"

Naruto was lying down, his legs hanging over the foot of the bed and arms folded underneath his head as he stared at the ceiling. "Tch. It's not as if I'm crawlin' under your covers to have a wank."

Kakashi picked up a book sitting nearby and through it at his former student. It hit him on his right side.

"Oi," Naruto sat up, scowling. "What's the big idea?"

"You're a ninja. You should've been able to see it coming."

"I was thinkin', okay? I had a bad day, so I wanna pretend I can sit here without you throwin' a book at me. What if that would've hit me in the crotch, and I wouldn't be able to carry on the Uzu - er." Nervously, he scratched at his whisker marks. "The Namikaze line."

"I think the world will be better off if you _don't _reproduce. Now, can you give me ten minutes to finish this up, and then I'll listen to you rant for a while before I kick you out so that I can get some sleep?"

Naruto did remain silent for a while until, restless, he got up from the bed and started walking around the small room. He poked around at books and scrolls sitting on a shelf. For a while, he stared at a large potted plant in the corner. The edge of the leaves had turned brown and were beginning to wilt.

"You should really water this," said Naruto.

"I'm surprised you lasted a whole 3 minutes and 33 seconds. That might be a record for you."

"Ha ha." Naruto squeezed the waxy leaves, running a thumb across the tiny red veins. "You should, though. Take care of it. Or it's gonna die."

"It's just a plant, Naruto."

"Hm."

Naruto left the room without saying anything, but it wasn't long - maybe 8 or so minutes - before he was back with a watering can. By then, Kakashi had finished up the last of the briefs. Making notes all day had left his hand cramped. There'd been a significant amount of paperwork to be done lately since there were far more recruits than there had been in years, which also meant more missions as well as an increase in screw ups. It had become his job to oversee the mission outcomes of the Genin and Chuunins so that he could report back to the Hokage about where adjustments needed to be made. He got up and stretched, watching Naruto as he carried on a conversation with the plant.

"Do you think since the First had a knack for wood element, he ever actually talked to plants? Because, so my mom was an Uzumaki, right? And the First's wife was from the same clan as my mom?"

"Uzumaki Mito and Kushina weren't closely related if that's what you're asking. Maybe distant cousins. But you're not directly related to the First."

"Are you sure?" Naruto turned to him, and he looked tired. More tired than Kakashi had seen him in a while.

"I'm sure that there are other explanations for why you talk to plants," he said. "And that may have something to do with your brain." Kakashi walked over to him and knocked on his head. "It's very small, after all." He ruffled Naruto's hair. "You look tired."

"That's because I haven't been sleeping well." He pushed Kakashi's hand away and went over by the desk.

"Ah. Anything you want to talk about?"

Naruto shrugged. He picked up the pencil and, absently, slid it behind his ear. He grinned at Kakashi. "What's to talk about? So I killed a few kids during a B-rank mission. What's to discuss?"

"Naruto."

"It's just..." He started to pace in front of the bed. "I think. I_ wish_..."

"That he was here so you could talk to him about it?"

Naruto stopped and answered in a gush of air, "_Yeah_. I really, _really _do. I guess I get these thoughts in my head of me and him going out for a drink or something to commiserate about what a shit mission we had that day, and then I remember..." He held his hand out in front of him as if grasping at each thought.

"That he's gone."

Naruto lowered his head. "Not just _gone_. Dead. I mean, there's no comin' back from that, right?"

"No. There's not."

"It's unfair."

"Listen, Naruto." Kakashi sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He sucked at these sorts of speeches. Ask him to teach a ninjutsu, no problem, but pep talks just weren't his style. "If I were anyone else from this village, maybe even all of the ninja world, they'd say that we're better off without Sasuke. He was an S-class criminal wanted by all Shinobi nations. No one except a handful of us is really grieving his loss."

Naruto looked up. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that you can't mope about this forever. He's not coming back. You're still here. Not everyone in this village is aggrieved by the loss, so as you pass through the streets with that dark cloud hanging over your head, it doesn't boost anyone's morale. Think about that."

"Are you _serious_? You want me to pretend that it doesn't matter for the sake of, what, saving face? For other people who didn't even know him like you, and me, and Sakura-chan did?"

"What I'm saying," Kakashi replied harshly, "Is to let it go."

Naruto glared, but Kakashi didn't find it particularly threatening. He rubbed the back of his head. It was too late in the night for him to be having such a heavy discussion. It was true though. Naruto needed to move forward and stop clinging to Sasuke, even in death.

"Fine," Naruto finally said. He picked up his watering can and headed toward the door.

Kakashi watched him go, holding his breath until the door shut behind Naruto. Then he let it all out. He went to the desk and glanced down, staring at the photo of Team 7 from so many years ago. If only he'd been a better teacher to all of them.


End file.
